Palestinian minister said the meeting dealt with the importance of creating a ‘political horizon that leads to a political solution’ to conflict.
Defense Minister Benny Gantz met with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas at his home in Rosh Ha-Ayin on Tuesday night to discuss security and economic issues.
It was the second meeting between the two men. When the first meeting took place in August in Ramallah, it was the first such high level conversation in close to a decade.
“Gantz informed …Abbas of his intention to continue advancing confidence-building measures in economic and civilian areas, as was determined in their previous meeting,” the Defense Ministry said.
“Minister Gantz emphasized the parties’ shared interest in deepening security coordination, maintaining regional stability and preventing terror and violence,” it added.
Gantz was joined by the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories Major General Rassan Alian and the head of the Palestinian Authority General Authority for Civil Affairs Hussein al Sheikh, whois also a member of the Fatah Central Committee.
Sheikh said the meeting “dealt with the importance of creating a political horizon that leads to a political solution in accordance with international legitimacy solutions.”
The Israeli and Palestinian officials also discussed the tense situation in the West Bank “due to the practices of settlers” against Palestinians,” Sheikh said.
Additionally, Abbas and Gantz discussed security, economic and humanitarian issues, the Palestinian official said.
MK Ofir Sofer (Religious Zionist Party) attacked Gantz for meeting with Abbas.
He wanted that Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s government was quietly and without fanfare leading the country to Oslo II. “It’s time to wake up before it’s too late,” Sofer said.
MK Mossi Raz (Meretz) said it was important to maintain coordination between the two nations to maintain the possibility to achieve peace and “on the day when the Palestinians will have a partner in Jerusalem who wants peace.”
Right-wing attacks against the Defense Minister show a pavalovian “racist hatred for the Palestinian people,” he added.
As reported by The Jerusalem Post